Students from Holland College's Culinary Institute of Canada brought home a gold medal from the Atlantic Provinces Culinary Exhibition for their outstanding efforts in the Junior competition recently, once again beating out students from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
Lindsay Closson, Tim Leamont, David Claringbould, Mark Rogers, and Jennie McIsaac were faced with the challenge of preparing a three course meal for 25 guests in five hours. A team from each of the Atlantic provinces was given a list of pantry ingredients in advance, then surprise "black box" items that must be included in each course are assigned to them three days before the competition.
On average, students practice as a team for more than 40 hours when they prepare for competitions such as this. In this case, the team was also preparing for a delivery that could potentially disrupt their plans. Team member Mark Rogers and his wife were expecting their first child any day; so instead of only four team members, the PEI contingent included a substitute in case Rogers had to leave to attend the baby's birth.
Chef Kevin Boyce, Culinary Institute of Canada instructor and team coach said there was no doubt in his mind that PEI would bring home the gold.
"Students are not judged solely on the taste and presentation of the food, although they are important elements; kitchen judges monitor their time management, work space cleanliness, and organizational skills as well. It's the kitchen judges' scores that can make or break a team. Our team practiced many hours to make sure that they were on top of all aspects of the competition. I had absolute confidence in them," he said.
The preparation times and skill levels of the students at the Culinary Institute of Canada make Junior Team PEI "the team to beat" at these competitions every year, Boyce noted.
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Date: Friday, March 31, 2006
